Abstract: To clarify the production and trade situation in the“Cotton Four”(C4) countries (Benin, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso) of Africa and China’s cooperation with the C4 countries in cotton production could provide references for Chinese institutes and enterprises to further the cooperation in the C4 countries. In this study, based on the cotton production and trade data from the database of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, cotton production dynamics and trade situation in the C4 countries during 1961- 2017, especially in 2011-2017, were analyzed. Since the launching of cotton production cooperation between China and the C4 countries, the cotton production, harvested areas and the proportion in Africa cotton production of the four countries have been continuously increased, but their cotton export to China decreased in recent years. Mali and Burkina Faso’s export of carded and combed cotton grew out of nothing, and increased rapidly in recent years. These data reflected cotton production enthusiasm and rapidly increased production ability in the C4 countries, and the preliminarily development of their cotton processing industry. Moreover, based on the above analysis and cotton industrial policies in the C4 countries, suggestions for Chinese institutes and enterprises to promote cotton industry development in these countries were put forward as follows: (1) strengthening cooperation of cotton breeding and new cultivar promotion; (2) promoting technology localization by talent training; (3) forming complementary regional distribution of cotton industrial chains in west Africa in line with local conditions; (4) attaching importance to local farm eco-environment and traditional agricultural culture.